Instead, the Lakers’ 92-86 loss Sunday to the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center provided an awfully familiar storyline that never seems to end.

Nash left midway through the third quarter after a collision with Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich sparked nerve irritation in his leg. Nash suffered the same damage last season when he fractured his left leg Oct. 31, 2012 against Portland, an injury that sidelined him for 24 games. The subsequent nerve issues eventually affected his back and hamstrings, keeping him out for eight games, including two playoff appearances.

Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni also said Nash’s back tightened up. Yet, Nash expressed optimism he could still play Tuesday against the Utah Jazz, insistent that the nerve damage in his back that sidelined him for all but eight games this season won’t suddenly emerge.

“It’s a gut feeling. It wasn’t like I broke it again,” said Nash, who finished with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting and two assists in 21 minutes. “I just kind of irritated the nerve. I’m pretty hopeful all the stuff I’ve been doing can overcome the irritation. It’s kind of transient. Hopefully when I wake up tomorrow, I’ll feel better.”

Nash had displayed encouraging signs during his two-game stint last week, including a 19-point effort on 8-of-15 shooting and five assists in the Lakers’ win Friday in Philadelphia.

But Nash showed discomfort after committing a turnover with nine minutes left in the third quarter, however he didn’t leave until nearly four minutes later.

“I wanted to play. Especially when you’re losing, you want to fight through it,” Nash said. “I’ve been through that before and I know where it goes. I didn’t want to risk it and honestly let the guys that were able to carry the load. I think it was the smartest decision to come back and not have a major setback.”

D’Antoni wondered if that should’ve happened sooner.

“He said he wanted to play through it,” D’Antoni said. “In retrospect, it might have been better to just come on out.”

Nash’s setback also contributed to the team’s never-ending injured list that includes Kobe Bryant (fractured left knee), Pau Gasol (strained right groin), Xavier Henry (bone bruise in right knee), Jodie Meeks (sprained right ankle) and Jordan Farmar (left hamstring). None are expected to return until sometime after next week’s All-Star break.

Nash has played only nine games this season, leaving it possible that the Lakers could benefit financially from his absence. If an NBA-appointed official determines Nash couldn’t play another game, the Lakers wouldn’t have the final year of Nash’s contract counted against their cap. But neither Nash nor the Lakers are thinking that way.

The Lakers (18-33) still had a chance to ensure a three-game winning streak. Chicago also remained shorthanded without Derrick Rose (right knee) and Carlos Boozer (left calf). Seldom-used center Chris Kaman remained two points of matching his career-high, posting 27 points on 13-of-23 shooting and 10 rebounds. Jordan Hill (15 points) and Kendall Marshall (13 points) also cracked double figures.

The Lakers also trailed only 88-84 with 48.9 seconds left after Wesley Johnson’s fast-break dunk. On the next possession, Lakers guard Steve Blake ran a pick-and-roll with Kaman and tried threading the needle with a bounce pass. D.J. Augustin swiped the ball and converted on a one-and-one.

“Steve (Blake) is a great player and does a great job for us,” Kaman said. “It was just one play, but it happened to be at the important time of the game there.”

Kaman found no solace with his play either, even if it could open up more playing time. Though D’Antoni described Kaman as “very good offensively” and rated his defense as “okay,” he said giving playing to Kaman once Gasol returns will be “tough.”

“The whole season has been a frustrating year for me personally,” Kaman said. “Part of that is having injuries. Part of that is a lot of guys are on one-year deals not knowing what they want to do and not knowing where they’re supposed to be. The more time we have together as a unit out there, the better it is. But with guys getting hurt and guys being in and out, it’s not easy.”

With Nash joining that list again, the Lakers’ job just became more difficult.

Mark Medina has been the Lakers beat writer for the Los Angeles Daily News since 2012. He also works as a Lakers insider for AM570 and is heard on national radio outlets, including The Dan Patrick Show, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, The Chris Mannix Show, Fox Sports Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Yahoo! Sports Radio and SB Nation Radio. Medina also appears frequently on Spectrum SportsNet and NBC4's "Going Roggin."

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